Jean Bosco Murera found a profitable business in tailoring Made-in-Rwanda clothes after quitting his government job in 2012. After establishing his firm, Phos Garment Group, he was able to grow from serving one client to establishing a contractual business of tailoring clothes for different companies and uniforms for schools. “I started with one sewing machine serving individuals in Rusizi District after my government job and when the Made-in-Rwanda campaign saw light, I decided to move to Kigali to expand my business,” explained Murera. He now has five permanent workers but when there is high demand, Murera extends work to other tailors. Despite noticeable progress, he has faced different challenges on a daily basis in running his business, including keeping proper accounting records and delivering good customer service, among others. Nonetheless, things turned for better when he became part of the BK Urumuri Initiative. “When I joined the BK Urumuri Initiative, I basically learned everything afresh. For instance, I would take lightly some of the complaints that clients had, but through the program, I learnt to give importance to customer care as any simple complaint can eventually become something big that may incur losses.” A partnership between Bank of Kigali and Inkomoko birthed BK Urumuri Initiative, to support 25 innovative entrepreneurs selected out of a pool of applicants to gain access to six months of training, consultancy and business assessment. These entrepreneurs also get a chance to compete for zero-interest loans offered by the bank for their business development. It would be better for a person to undergo such training before doing any business for they provide long-term knowledge as you run and expand your business, Murera said, “you won’t know whether you are making profit or loss if you have no adequate knowledge in accounting.” “The issue might be the awareness that the training is available. But if you are lucky to be informed about it, then you should grab the opportunity that might help you reach even more things you hadn’t thought of,” he added.
